The "light planets" are in the ocean. Is it true that forests are the lungs of the planet? Where do plants get bright colors from?

"Planets of the solar system" - Venus. Venus is the third brightest object in the Earth's sky after the Sun and Moon. Take care of our planet!!! Plan. The second planet in the solar system. Earth. Over time, water and an atmosphere appeared on planet Earth, but one thing was missing - life. A new star is born - our SUN. Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter.

"Lesson of the Planet of the Solar System" - Foster camaraderie, the ability to work in a group. Information card of the lesson. Fizkultminutka. Earth. Mars. Photoforum. The role of the Sun for life on Earth. star or planet. Lesson plan. Complete the tasks: Complete the test. Develop cognitive processes, computer literacy skills. Planets of the solar system.

"Small planets" - The figure of Venus. The surface of the moon. The distance from Venus to the Earth varies from 38 to 258 million km. There is every reason to believe that there is a lot of water on Mars. Atmosphere and water on Mars. The volume of Mercury is 17.8 times less than that of the Earth. The composition and internal structure of Mars. Physical fields of the Moon. The density at the center of the Earth is about 12.5 g/cm3.

"Planets in the Solar System" - Astronomical models of Ptolemy and Copernicus. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. A planet that was discovered "at the tip of a pen." Neptune has a magnetic field. The sun. Uranus has 18 moons. Mars. Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. A planet where life exists. Uranus. Neptune. The sun is a hot ball - the closest star to the Earth.

"Ecology of the planet" - Formation of ecology into an independent branch of knowledge. Stages of interaction between human society and nature. Abiotic factors of the aquatic environment. Biological capacity of the medium. Age structure. Categories of living matter in the biosphere. Abiotic factors of the terrestrial environment. System laws of ecology. Laws of ecology B. Commoner.

"Planets and their satellites" - Inner 10 moons - small in size. A huge number of craters have been discovered on the surface of Titania. Iapetus. Pluto is rightly called a double planet. The crater Eratosthenes with a diameter of 61 km was formed relatively recently. Therefore, the Moon either does not have, or has a very insignificant iron core. From one upper climax to the next, 130 hours pass - more than five days.

I think each of us has heard the expression: - "Forests are the lungs of our planet." Indeed, this is true, but unfortunately these very "vital organs of the Earth" have been cut down at an unrealistic rate over the past 30 years. The statistics are as follows - every 2 seconds, on planet Earth, a part of a forest the size of a football field is cut down. Due to this, some species of animals and plants are disappearing.
The world-famous organization "Greenpeace" claims that by 2050, the extinction of animals and plants will be 1000 times faster than now.
It would be a pity to part with such beauty ...

I think each of us has heard the expression: - "Forests are the lungs of our planet." Indeed, this is true, but unfortunately these very "vital organs of the Earth" have been cut down at an unrealistic rate over the past 30 years.

The "lungs of our planet" are in the Amazon. It is the Amazon rainforest that is the most powerful producer of oxygen on Earth. The Amazon covers approximately 7,000,000 square kilometers in 9 states - Brazil (60%), Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
The Amazon represents more than half of the remaining rainforests in the world, and they grow around the world's largest river of the same name, making the entire Amazon region a unique center of the planet. Along with all this, the biodiversity of this area is striking, although most of the Amazon has not even been studied yet.

Both flora and fauna surprise with their richness. Imagine that there are more than a MILLION different types of plants and animals living here.

According to scientists, there are 1500 species of flowers, 750 species of trees, 125 species of mammals, 400 species of birds and countless insects per 10 square meters of rainforest.

On the picture: Red and green macaw

The San Rafael Falls is the largest waterfall in Ecuador. The Salado River falls into the gorge in two steps from a height of 150 meters and 100 meters, creating a stunningly beautiful view.

On the Tambolpata River, in the Amazon region of Peru, a group of children were playing football on a tiny island of sand in the middle of the river.

Three-toed sloth. Locals believe that a pregnant woman should not look at him, otherwise her child will look like him.

Yacumana and Chullachaqui are two demons from local legends. Yakumana is a water demon, and Chullachuki can transform any person's facial expressions. Look at his legs, so you can identify him - he always has one big leg.

The Amazon rainforest, also known as the Amazonia, is one of the world's most valuable natural resources. Because its vegetation continuously converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, it has been called "The Lungs of Our Planet". About 20 percent of the Earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest.

There is a misconception that has even entered textbooks, that forests are the lungs of the planet. Forests actually produce oxygen, while lungs consume it. So it's more like an "oxygen cushion". So why is this statement false? In fact, oxygen is produced not only by those plants that grow in the forest. All plant organisms, including the inhabitants of water bodies, and the inhabitants of the steppes, deserts constantly produce oxygen. Plants, unlike animals, fungi and other living organisms, can themselves synthesize organic substances using light energy for this. This process is called photosynthesis. As a result of photosynthesis, oxygen is released. It is a by-product of photosynthesis. Oxygen is released very, very much, in fact, 99% of the oxygen that is present in the Earth's atmosphere of plant origin. And only 1% comes from the mantle, the underlying layer of the Earth.

Of course, trees produce oxygen, but no one thinks about the fact that they also spend it. And not only them, all other inhabitants of the forest cannot be without oxygen. First of all, plants breathe on their own, this happens in the dark when photosynthesis does not occur. And you need to somehow dispose of the stocks of organic matter that they created during the day. That is, to eat. And in order to eat, you need to spend oxygen. Another thing is that plants spend much less oxygen than they produce. And this is ten times less. However, do not forget that there are still animals in the forest, as well as fungi, as well as various bacteria that do not produce oxygen themselves, but nevertheless breathe it. A significant amount of oxygen that the forest produced during the daylight hours will be used by the living organisms of the forest to support life. However, something will remain. And this is something about 60% of what the forest produces. This oxygen enters the atmosphere, but does not remain there for very long. Further, the forest itself withdraws oxygen, again for its own needs. Namely, the decomposition of the remains of dead organisms. In the end, the forest often spends 1.5 times more oxygen on the disposal of its own waste than it produces. It is impossible to call it the oxygen factory of the planet after that. True, there are forest communities that work on a zero oxygen balance. These are famous tropical forests.

The rainforest is generally a unique ecosystem, it is very stable, because the consumption of matter is equal to production. But again, there is no surplus left. So even tropical forests can hardly be called oxygen factories.

So why, then, after the city it seems to us that the forest has clean, fresh air, that there is a lot of oxygen there? The thing is that the production of oxygen is a very fast process, but the consumption is a very slow process.

So what then are the planet's oxygen factories? In fact, these are two ecosystems. Among the "terrestrial" are peat bogs. As we know, in a swamp, the process of decomposition of dead matter is very, very slow, as a result of which the dead parts of plants fall down, accumulate, and peat deposits are formed. Peat does not decompose, it is compressed and remains in the form of a huge organic brick. That is, during peat formation, a lot of oxygen is not wasted. Thus, marsh vegetation produces oxygen, but oxygen itself consumes very little. As a result, it is the swamps that give exactly the increase that remains in the atmosphere. However, there are not so many real peat bogs on land, and of course it is almost impossible for them alone to maintain the oxygen balance in the atmosphere. And here another ecosystem, which is called the world ocean, helps.

There are no trees in the oceans, grasses in the form of algae are observed only near the coast. However, vegetation in the ocean still exists. And most of it is made up of microscopic photosynthetic algae, which scientists call phytoplankton. These algae are so small that it is often impossible to see each of them with the naked eye. But the accumulation of them is visible to all. When bright red or bright green spots are visible on the sea. This is what phytoplankton is.

Each of these little algae produces huge amounts of oxygen. She consumes very little. Due to the fact that they are intensively dividing, the amount of oxygen produced by them is growing. One phytoplankton community produces 100 times more per day than a forest occupying such a volume. But at the same time they spend very little oxygen. Because when the algae die, they immediately fall to the bottom, where they are immediately eaten. After that, those who ate them are eaten by other, third organisms. And so few remains reach the bottom that they quickly decompose. There is simply no such long decomposition as in the forest, in the ocean. There, recycling is very fast, as a result of which oxygen is actually not wasted. And so there is a "big profit", and that's it stays in the atmosphere. So the "lungs of the planet" should not be considered forests at all, but the oceans. It is he who makes sure that we have something to breathe.

Everyone knows that forests are the lungs of the planet. Trees growing in forests, and indeed any other green plants, create organic matter through photosynthesis, using carbon dioxide, which they absorb from the atmosphere, as a source of carbon. Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere. Many sources claim that the "lungs of the planet" are the humid equatorial forests of Brazil. But comparing some indicators, the question involuntarily arises: Does this conventional wisdom correspond to the truth. In my article, I made several comparisons with the forests of Russia. So what can be called the "lungs" of our planet?

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"EASY PLANETS" - BRAZIL OR RUSSIA.

Litvak Nadezhda Anikievna

Geography teacher MOU secondary school №5

[email protected]

Everyone knows that forests are the lungs of the planet. Trees growing in forests, and indeed any other green plants, create organic matter through photosynthesis, using carbon dioxide, which they absorb from the atmosphere, as a source of carbon. Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere.

Many sources claim that the "lungs of the planet" are the humid equatorial forests of Brazil. Let's make some comparisons with the forests of Russia.

First, let's compare the total area of ​​forests. The forests of Brazil cover an area of ​​480 million hectares, while the forests of Russia have a total area of ​​766.0 million hectares. Thus, comparing the area of ​​forests, the score is in favor of Russia.

Secondly, let's compare the volumes of deforestation. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, deforestation has increased by 8.5 percent in the past decade compared to the 1990s. Deforestation rates are highest in Asia at 1.2% per year since 1990, followed by Latin America at 0.8%, and Africa at 0.7%. However, during the same period, the total area of ​​deforested territories per year in Latin America is 7.4 million hectares, in Africa - 4.1, Asia - 3.9. Researchers from the Brazilian Imazon Institute found that over the last five months of 2012, the area of ​​Amazon forests has decreased by 1,288 thousand square kilometers. This is 127% more than in 2011. The Imazon Research Institute draws such conclusions based on satellite monitoring of the Amazon forest. In addition, the Brazilian space agency, which conducts a monthly assessment of the state of the forest, also confirmed a decrease in forest cover from August to October 2012.

The last forests on planet Earth that can still be called virgin, clean and untouched are boreal forests, all kinds of tree and shrub vegetation formations that grow in cold, temperate cold and temperate climates.

Large tracts of relatively untouched forests have survived only in Russia and Canada (1.4 billion hectares).

About a quarter of all forests on the planet are located on the territory of Russia. These forests make up about 3 of all forests on the planet, which means that they absorb about 3 of the carbon dioxide that is emitted into the Earth's atmosphere. Of course, the untouched forests of northern Russia are also in danger of destruction. Recently, the situation has begun to change dramatically. But if we take into account the fact that most of these forests are located in Western Siberia, where the forest zone is called forest swamp and the wood is not of high quality, and Eastern Siberia, where the population density is the lowest, for example, the population density in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is 0, 31h/km 2 , Evenki district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory according to the 2010 census is 0.04 h / km 2 .

To date, these forests remain virtually untouched, and the main reason for this is that the northern regions have a very low population density.

But what is happening now with the rainforests cannot be called the words "danger" or "trouble." This is a catastrophe! The land has already lost half of the selva. And experts anxiously predict that the remaining half could disappear within the next fifty years. Whereas just 50 years ago tropical forests covered 15% of the Earth's surface, today that number is only

6%. It is easy to imagine what this percentage will be in 10 years with the current dynamics of deforestation of rainforests.

It is a proven fact that if deforestation continues at this rate, by 2020 we will lose as much as 90% of all tropical forests. Every day, 200,000 acres of these precious oxygen generators, the natural filter of our planet, are destroyed.

10 "record holders" for annual net loss of forests between 2000 and 2010: 1 - Brazil, 2 - Australia, 3 - Indonesia, 4 - Nigeria, 5 - Tanzania, 6 - Zimbabwe, 7 - DRC, 8 - Myanmar, 9 - Bolivia, 10 - Venezuela.

Thus, the score in this "confrontation" becomes 2:0 in favor of the Russian Federation.

You can compare such an indicator as the number of roads. In the forested areas of Siberia, there are practically no railways and modern highways, motor roads connect the interior regions and do not go to the Trans-Siberian Railway and other transit highways. In Brazil, the Trans-Amazon Highway is the largest transport highway, the length of which is 5.5 thousand kilometers, at a distance of 20 kilometers along the highway, economic development and land settlement were carried out.

The cheapest "roads" for transporting timber are rivers, but in Siberia, unlike in Brazil, the rivers are covered with ice for 6-7 months a year, and in this case this gives another point to Russia, and the score becomes 3:0.

Well, the last comparison - if in this case we are talking about forests, as the lungs of the planet, then we will talk not only about the amount of oxygen produced, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bforests and the volume of their deforestation, but also about the ability of forests to purify the air from emissions from industrial enterprises and transport. In this case, the determining factor is the geographical position of the countries and the system of atmospheric circulation. Russia and Brazil are located at different latitudes, the main air currents in Brazil are the trade winds that come to Brazil from the tropical latitudes of Africa, across the Atlantic Ocean. Here you need to keep in mind:

• Africa is the most backward region of the modern world, in which the share of manufacturing and transport is minimal, and, accordingly, the amount of emissions into the atmosphere is small.
• The main producers of oxygen live in the ocean. Microscopic ocean algae are actively involved in "oxygen charity". These creatures are so small that it is almost impossible to see them with the naked eye. However, their total number is very large, the account goes into millions of billions. The entire world's phytoplankton produces 10 times more oxygen than it needs to breathe. Enough to provide useful gas to all the other inhabitants of the waters, and a lot gets into the atmosphere. So, the ocean supplies about 40 percent of the oxygen produced by phytoplankton to the atmosphere.

Thus, if we take into account the circulation of the atmosphere, the air in the Amazon comes not so dirty and at the same time enriched with oxygen.

Consider the situation in Russia, being in temperate latitudes, Russia is influenced by westerly winds that bring air from Europe - one of the most developed regions of the world. The high population density, the high level of urbanization of countries, the dense network of roads and industrial enterprises - all this leads to a high level of atmospheric pollution. And all this "air" moves to the territory of our country. It is the forests of Russia, especially Siberia and the Far East, that begin to work "light". Thus, if we talk about forests as the "lungs of the planet", then Russian forests are a clear favorite. Many ecologists agree with this “Russia, on the territory of which there are large forest areas, where carbon dioxide is converted into carbon fiber of plants and free oxygen, should have preferential quotas for reducing CO2 emissions”

“It seems appropriate that oxygen-producing countries receive payment for it and use these funds for the maintenance of forest areas”

It is noted that within the framework of the UN, proposals from “sparsely forested” countries (Germany and others) are being considered to preserve and increase Russian forests in the interests of the entire planet. And regarding tropical forests, a similar agreement was adopted in the early 90s. Developed Nordic countries pledged to pay developing African countries a kind of bonus of $10 for every ton of carbon dioxide processed into oxygen. And such payments began in 1996. “It is estimated that one hectare of forest absorbs about 8 liters of carbon dioxide per hour (the same amount is emitted when two hundred people breathe at the same time)”

Scientists have calculated that 0.6 percent of forest area disappears from the face of the earth every year.

“We advocate for the implementation of the Total Forest Area Conservation, Prevention of Degradation and Deforestation (ZNDD) 2020 Agenda, which reflects the scope and need to tackle the threat to the world's forests and climate. Achieving the goals of this program will stop the depletion of forest biodiversity and the decline in the ability of forests to provide ecosystem services, as well as the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” “We recognize that realizing the goals of the ZNDD is not an easy task that requires a lot of political will and a lot of attention, especially if the goal is to achieve these goals in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner, respecting the interests of people dependent on forests and forest resources. In addition, it will be necessary to develop environmentally and socially acceptable strategies for implementing such a program at the national and local levels.”

Abramson N.G., Bernstein L.G. Global environmental problems of thermal power industry and cement production // Ecology and Industry of Russia. - 2005. - July. - S. 29-31.

Garin V.M., Klenova I.A., Kolesnikov V.I. Ecology for technical universities. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2001. - 384 p.

Kreinin E.V. Greenhouse effect: causes, forecasts, recommendations // Ecology and Industry of Russia. - 2005. - July. - S. 18-23.

Http://www.rgo.ru/2010/07/zemelnye-resursy-rossii-–-struktura-i-mirovoe-znachenie/ Official website of the All-Russian public organization Russian Geographical Society. Economy and ecology

Ria.ru/ based on materials from RIANOVOSTI.

Encyclopedia of Forestry.

http://www.prinas.org/node/389/ Natural heritage.

http://www.gks.ru/ Federal State Statistics Service.

From the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Forests report.

http://www.latindex.ru/content/articles/4623/

From the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Forests report.

There is a journalistic stamp that the forest is the lungs of planet Earth. But then what about the data of science, which suggests that the oxygen atmosphere arose on our planet long before photosynthesis?

In fact, plants on both land and oceans produce about as much oxygen during photosynthesis as they then consume themselves in the process of respiration.

Initially, the Earth's atmosphere had a generally reducing character: methane + ammonia + water + carbon dioxide.

The earth's crust should also have had a restorative character, since it was in equilibrium with the atmosphere.

And today we have that the atmosphere contains 20% free oxygen, and most of the rocks are completely oxidized and the system is in a state of equilibrium (the composition of the atmosphere has not changed significantly for several hundred million years).

In order to oxidize the entire primary atmosphere and lithosphere, a huge amount of free oxygen is needed.

The balances don't match

According to the generally accepted hypothesis, it is believed that living organisms are responsible for the release of oxygen.

But they are not suitable for this role, because despite the fact that plants emit a significant amount of oxygen per unit time, but in general the biosphere is quite stable - the circulation of substances takes place in it. The release of free oxygen can only be achieved through the accumulation of undecomposed residues (mainly in the form of coal). In other words:
H2O + CO2 = biomass(C + O + H) + O2 + C + CH4.

Given that the current biomass is small compared to the mass of even free oxygen in the atmosphere (it is approximately a hundred times less), we get that in order to form all atmospheric and lithospheric (for the oxidation of the primary lithosphere) oxygen, it is necessary that somewhere in the Earth are stored would be similar in mass reserves of coal and hydrocarbons - and this is a layer of several meters only for atmospheric oxygen, and for lithospheric oxygen it is orders of magnitude larger. No such reserves are observed (inferred reserves of coal and other hydrocarbons approximate the total biomass).
So, we obviously don't have balances.

In the bright sun

Note that another source of oxygen is the dissociation of water molecules under the action of solar radiation.

As is known, the velocity of molecules in a gas obeys the Maxwell distribution. According to this distribution, there is always a certain fraction of molecules whose speed exceeds the second cosmic one. And such molecules can freely leave the Earth. Moreover, light gases, hydrogen and helium, escape first of all from the atmosphere. Calculations show that the time of complete volatilization of hydrogen from the earth's atmosphere is only a few years. However, hydrogen is still present in the atmosphere. Why? For oxygen and other gases, this time exceeds the lifetime of the Earth. million years. In the earth's atmosphere, hydrogen and helium are constantly renewed due to the supply from the earth's interior and a number of atmospheric processes. Hydrogen, which forms a "corona" around the Earth, is a product of the dissociation of water molecules under the influence of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the Sun.

Calculations show that over a period of about ten million years, an amount of oxygen equal to the current value arises in the atmosphere due to photodissociation.

So we get:
1) Initially, the atmosphere, lithosphere and the entire mantle of the Earth are of a restorative nature.
2) Due to photodissociation, water (which, by the way, came from the mantle as a result of volcanic activity) decomposes into oxygen and hydrogen. The last one leaves the Earth.
3) The remaining oxygen oxidizes the primary lithosphere and atmosphere to the current state.
4) Why doesn’t oxygen accumulate, because it is constantly supplied as a result of photodissociation (the current amount accumulates over 10 million years, and the age of the Earth is 4.5 billion)? It goes to the oxidation of the mantle. As a result of the movement of continents in subduction zones, a new crust is formed from the mantle. The rocks of this crust are oxidized under the action of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. These oxidized rocks from oceanic plates in subduction zones are then fed back into the mantle.

Extras of the universe

But what about living organisms, you ask? They actually play the role of extras - there was no free oxygen, they lived without it - at a primitive unicellular level. Appeared - adapted and began to live with him - but already in the form of advanced multicellular organisms.

So whether there will be forests on Earth or not, this will not affect the oxygen content in the planet's atmosphere. Another thing is that the forest cleans the air of dust, saturates it with phytoncides, gives shelter and food to many animals and birds, gives people aesthetic pleasure ... But calling the forest “green lungs” is at least illiterate.